Dark Mirror - Diane Duane [53]
The Imperials were most surprised when the inhabitants of the remaining world, on the eve of the deadline for their answer, committed suicide en masse. Back on Earth, the government shrugged and started loading up another colony ship. An empty planet would probably be less trouble.
Picard sat back in his chair, feeling shaky with the calm and rational way in which the historical material from the other ship laid all this out, as inevitable, the fault of the conquered, of those who tried to stand in the way of progress, of mankind’s simple need to have a home that it could count on surviving in. There are some kinds of security that are below contempt, he thought. But as they had started, so no doubt they had gone on. There had never been a Federation: he didn’t need to read the history to know that, now. No grouping so tolerant would ever have occurred to these people. They became the United Empire of Planets— united by a rule of fear and inevitable destruction of those who opposed them. Picard found himself wondering how the Vulcans had survived meeting them—but as he read on, he got a sense that in this universe, the Vulcans’ history, too, was different. While still a logical people, they were also as piratical and ruthless in their way as the Imperials. No Surak, Picard thought sorrowfully, paging down the readout. Yet the Imperials found them before they had quite warred one another into oblivion—and recognized them as kindred spirits. They had made common cause and gone out to plunder the Galaxy together.
“O’Brien to Captain Picard.”
“Yes, Chief?”
“We’ve got another chip in from the away team.” In the background Picard could hear O’Brien slipping it into the reader slot in his console. “Voice message, it looks like.”
“Computer,” Picard said, “copy incoming voice message to Commander Riker.”
The computer chirped. Then Troi’s voice said, “Captain, we have a problem …”
He listened, his mouth going dry as he began to understand the import of it. About halfway through the message, his door signal went off. He smiled slightly through his fear, knowing who it was. “Come,” he said while the message continued, and Riker hurried in, standing there with an expression of distress, while Geordi’s voice said, “So you’ve got about five minutes to make the call or pull us out of here.”
Silence fell. “It has the advantage of boldness,” Picard said, almost musing. “Strike at the top.”
“You lost me, sir,” said Riker in a voice that suggested Picard hadn’t lost him at all and desperately wanted to hear an explanation of his captain’s thoughts that didn’t include what he seemed to be implying.
“Mr. La Forge’s suggestion seems fairly plain. He and Counselor Troi are suggesting that they take the other captain out of commission and substitute me for him. I will then be in a position to order the other Troi to release the computer core to Mr. La Forge for”—he smiled gently—”maintenance. Doubtless we can throw a few spanners into the works at the same time.”
“Sir!” It was almost a shout.
Picard looked at Riker; he subsided. “Will, please don’t say anything further for at least thirty seconds. No, make it sixty.”
Riker sat down slowly, watching him. Picard